ALVIN, Texas – Trey Burke will make his midget debut next week during arguably the biggest midget event of the year.

Burke is set to pilot a race car for Joe Dooling during the 35th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals presented by General Tire. His preliminary night is Monday prior to the event concluding on Saturday inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla.

“I’ve been wanting to do this race more than anything,” Burke said. “I grew up watching my dad race midgets and him going to the Chili Bowl. The past few years we’ve been going and I’ve been waiting. This is the most waited on race in my entire life.”

Burke has attended the Chili Bowl a handful of times, but this year it will be different since he has a chance to sit in a midget rather than just in a seat in the grandstands. He will have to learn on the fly, as the Chili Bowl marks Burke’s first laps in a midget.

“We were going to practice this past week, but the track got rained out,” he said. “My first time in a midget will be practice in the Chili Bowl.

“I think we’ll do well. My dad and Brad Benic, who does our setups, will get the car how it needs to be. Brad is good at reading tracks. Then it will be up to me. With a little bit of luck I think we’ll do well.”

Burke said his goal is to make the A Main during his preliminary night.

“The most important race has to be the heat race,” he said. “You have to be ready to get aggressive. You have to make those passes because if you can’t you’ll be behind the rest of the week.”

The 35th Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals runs Jan. 11-16 inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla.